Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 5, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 27 A s you walk down Main Street, south of Chandler Street, you see storefronts are filled with markets selling food from around the world, clothing, and home goods, with their doors oen open to the street, creating a vibrant atmosphere of people doing their errands or talking with others from the neighborhood. e smells of restaurants serving Puerto Rican, Dominican, Vietnamese, Caribbean, and many other types of food wa through the air, giving each block its own flavor. Businesses in the neighborhood face their share of challenges, like speaking many different languages in a system geared towards English speakers, not owning the property their business- es occupy, and a lack of awareness of the neighborhood by people on the outside. ese were made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. e Main South Business Associ- ation, led by board President Jessica Velez, aims to address these challenges. "It is so important that we have a seat at the table," said Velez in an interview with WBJ in the Main South neighbor- hood. MSBA brings together businesses in the neighborhood to share knowledge and resources and create a coalition to advocate for the community's interests. It provided assistance to members and the community through the pandem- ic and now is focused on moving the business community forward into the future. "e Main South Business Associ- ation brings tremendous benefits to the neighborhood as they collectively address challenges, promote neighbor- hood driven solutions, and together advocate for the vitality of the Main South neighborhood," Eric Batista, Worcester's acting city manager, said in an email to WBJ. A young organization MSBA began in 2019, largely through the efforts of Ivette Olmeda, who was the Transforma- tive Development Initiative fellow for MassDevelopment in the neighbor- hood. MassDevel- opment's TDI program identifies neighborhoods in Gateway Cities like Worcester and works to create a critical mass of activity to inspire investments by local residents, entrepreneurs, and businesses, as well as additional private development. TDI districts that graduated from the program in June are in Chicopee, Fall River, Fitchburg, Lawrence, and Worcester. Leadership of the MSBA takes the form of a board that is made up of members and elected by members. Members of the board are elected for two-year terms. e first president elected in 2019 was Laura-Perez Garcia of Voltage Fashion Boutique. In January, Velez, who owns Sara's Auto Sales with her husband Jose Sarita, became president of the board. "A big part of my job is coordinating with board members, being a face and name representing the organization, delegating tasks, research, and helping with translation," said Velez."I can think of five different languages off the top of my head that members of the associa- tion speak." Velez was born in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and moved to Worcester when she was 13 years old. In addition to owning a business, and being the president of the MSBA, Velez works for the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission. Knowing the ins and outs of work- ing in a state agency has aided Velez in helping Main South business owners navigate the intricacies of dealing with government agencies when applying for loans, grants, or permits. Finding money for businesses MSBA helped members apply for the U.S. Small Business Administration's Continued on page 28 D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N F O C U S Power through community e three-year-old Main South Business Association is helping small companies in one of Worcester's most culturally diverse neighborhood overcome unique obstacles BY TIMOTHY DOYLE WBJ Staff Writer Ivette Olmeda, TDI fellow for MassDe- velopment PHOTO/EDD COTE Jessica Velez, president of the Main South Business Association, is working to lead the community out of the COVID pandemic and into the future.

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